New Start in a New World (Open)

Arienne was done with the city of Vancouver.  That place had given her nothing but heartache, strife and poverty and why anyone would choose to stay there was beyond her.  At one time, perhaps, it was a place where the average person could make a life but now days it was a haven for the rich and the powerful.  Didn't have a rich patron or parents with an office job?  You may as well face the fact that you wee destined to be nothing, constantly struggling just to make enough to put a roof over your head and food in your stomach.

New York was a good place, Arienne had heard.  There were opportunities there and a chance to actually become someone.  Even as a runaway teen, it wasn't that difficult to get herself over the border.  She hitchhiked her way there or, at least, almost there.  Then it was just a matter of waiting for darkness, sneaking herself over and hitchhiking her way down to New York City.  When you were a young and attractive girl, it wasn't too difficult to find people who were willing to take you along for the ride for a few hours and if a couple of those generous souls ended the night with their wallats a little bit lighter than when they started, well, everyone had some kind of dark secret.  No one had was completely innocent.  No one.

Arienne's first impression of the big city was one of being overwhelmed.  Sure, Vancouver was a decently sized city, at least for Canada, but it was no New York.  There was a distinct lack of greenery, at least in comparison, for one.  For another?  She didn't know anyone or anything here in this place.  Why had she decided to pick up everything and leave with nothing more than what would fit in her backpack again?  Right, something about new places and new starts.  She would never admit to anyone just how close she was to tears at that exact moment in time.

It took a few minutes for Arienne to center herself and get over her momentary feelings of panic.  She was, after all, some kind of super hero, right?  Or super villain.  whatever.  The point was that she had super powers and that gave her a leg up on the rest of the world.  She could do this.  She'd find a place to live, a proper job and actually make a life for herself.  OK, so maybe a proper job wasn't all that likely given how much more fun it was to find her money by other means, but a proper place to live was a must and that was first priority.  Fortunately she had a few hundred dollars that had been acquired from her last ride tucked away in a pocket.

Not having the slightest clue where, exactly, she was going, Arienne began to walk forward with a purpose. For those observant enough, they might have noticed a black energy appear and encompass her left hand, held down near her waist. It was a comfort thing, really; something to boost her confidence. It was the reminder that she was something special and that she could do whatever it was she put her mind towards.

Watching from the shadows, Rembrandt could see a young woman walking down the street. "Tourist" he thought to himself. "Either that or she's new" it was all in her body language, tight, reserved, afraid almost. she was easy prey. He stood unmoving for the moment, simply watching the girl make her way. It soon became evident however that she was no ordinary girl, she had a strange ball of energy covering her left hand. This excited Rembrandt and a grim smile curled on his lips. Maybe he could have a little more fun with this one instead of just killing her. He slowly stepped out of the ally and began to follow the girl, her reaction would dictate his next moves.

If Arienne didn't consider herself much of an academic, she did prize her street smarts.  If Vancouver wasn't quite as large or as harsh of a city as the one she currently stood within, she had nevertheless been through her share of hardship.  She knew, generally speaking, which sort of people to avoid, which ones were likely to help her and which ones she was likely to be able to take advantage of.  She knew the areas of time that would be more likely to hold places that weren't likely to ask uncomfortable questions about how old she was and where she had come by the money she had in hand.  

As Arienne walked, the buildings around her slowly started to get older and smaller and it was clear she was starting to get into a lower income area.  Ideally, she wanted to find a place where she wouldn't stand out, where a little crime and poverty was common but it wasn't what defined the place.  Looking around, she thought the neighborhood she currently stood in might do.  Now it was a matter of finding a temporary room until she could track down someplace a little more permanent.

Arienne paused and looking around, trying to spot someone to ask for directions to the nearest hostel.  It had been a couple hours before dusk when she started her trip, now it was shortly after full night and people were a bit less friendly at this time of night.  What triggered the thought that someone was following her she wasn't certain; maybe the falling of night had made her tracker careless or maybe something just registered in her subconscious mind.  Regardless of the trigger, she now felt certain someone was there.  

Doing her best to act natural Arienne turned into a nearby alley.  As she walked she summoned her black energies around her and the enveloped her in a skin-tight sheath over her skin.  If one didn't look to closely, one might just see a human silhouetted in darkness; nothing too unusual at night in a poorly lit alley.  It was her uncovered hands and face that gave her away as something more than human; where previously there was creamy white skin now was inky black shadow. Whoever might be foolish enough to try something would quickly discover she wasn't just some runaway teen girl.

The young woman before him started moving a little differently now he was following her. Clearly she knew he was there, but what would she do about it? She continued to walk through the neighborhood looking around seemingly for help, directions, maybe company to keep Rembrandt away from her. He continued to follow her wherever she went making sure his presence was felt though never quite actually making a move, not yet anyway.

At one point she turned down an ally and if Rembrandt had been his younger self he would have pursued this immediately and gone in for the kill but he wasn't that stupid, not anymore. He remembered the black energy around the girls hand and thought if he were to follow her any further he would be following her into a trap. He simply walked past the alleyway and continued walking for a few steps before putting his back to the wall and grabbing a can of spray paint and a folded up piece of paper from his pocket. Unfolding the paper made it evident that it was a stencil, a stencil of what looked like a man. He placed the paper on the ground and began to spray over it. Seconds later it was done. the painting lay upon the ground and Rembrandt's grin grew wider on his face. soon the painting on the ground began to slither and move as if it was alive. moving with an unnatural rhythm and speed the painting moved from the ground to the wall before firing off around the corner down the alley to where the young woman now stood.

Rembrandt could see through the eyes of his painting though it was a strange haze. the girl was nothing more than a shadowy presence now. Was this her power or was Rembrandt losing his touch. He took a deep breath and focused his gaze on the woman. The painting returned to the ground and like a monster ascending from hell the painting took form, it emerged from the ground a black shadowy figure, similar to that of the woman. "Hello" Rembrandt spoke in a soft tone,not at all representative of him. The shadow he had conjured mimicked this greeting albeit with a strange warped voice. Tonight was about to get interesting, one way or another.

The secluded alley allowed Arienne to operate without being seen. People like her, those who were special, they weren't always trusted. It was jealousy, mostly. Well, jealousy and fear. Arienne couldn't blame them for either, really; were she not special herself she'd be pretty jealous too. Fortunately that's not a worry she'd ever have to deal with.

Whoever was following her did so for some time and if Arienne wasn't quite afraid she was definitely on edge. By the time she turned into the alley her silent stalker had to be aware of the fact that she wasn't exactly normal prey and if he hadn't let off his chase then he was either very stupid or quite possibly special himself. She knew there were others out there like her but had relatively little experience with. As daunting a prospect as it was to be forced to defend her life against someone like herself, she couldn't quite deny the thrill of anticipation that went through her. Maybe this was a test or maybe that was just the best way to look at it.

After turning down the alley Arienne thought she might have finally lost her stalker. She was wrong.

"Hello"

The figure looked eerily like she did when her shadows surrounded her although the voice was all wrong and there was something subtle that told her that she and it weren't the same. "Why have you been following me?" Her voice didn't shake. She might have been wary and more than a little nervous but she was in her element here at night. Or maybe she just didn't have enough experience to know to be afraid.

Jager was running. Running from yet another mob of angry people calling him "Witch! Burn the devil-born!" He didn't want to be running. He wanted to be alone and learn what else he can do with his magic. He need a way out but nothing came so he kept running deeper and deeper into the woods, but he still heard them. He cried out as something opened before him and he only saw darkness.

Within a blink he ran into a wall appearing through a purplish portal between the shadow and the girl. He fell on his butt along with a couple of pots and a large wooden spoon which made aloud clang. He stopped and rubbed his forhead. Finally there was peace, they weren't chasing him anymore. He then stood up and looked around.

The girl didn't sound as scared as he thought she should have have been. It was admirable, even through her fear she stood strong. She was interesting, she had powers, she was brave, she had potential. "why?" Rembrandt asked, both to the girl and to himself. Why had he followed her, at first it seemed like she was just another easy kill but the longer things went on the more he seemed to disagree with this original theory. "I can't really say" The shadowy figure started to walk towards the girl, it walked with a strange grace, like that of a gentleman. "You interest me" he then stated having no other real justification for following her. Before Rembrandt had time to watch the girls reaction their meeting was interrupted by the appearance of a young man, yet another man with powers. He appeared from the middle of the wall, clearly he was a teleporter, but this didn't concern Rembrandt the fact his conversation had been interrupted did however.

The shadowy figure created by Rembrandt burst and rained paint upon the ground. The wide grin on Rembrandt's face had now been replaced by a tight contorted scowl only made more intimidating by the paint on his face. He pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket and started to march towards the alleyway. First it was slow, forceful but it quickly grew into a loud thundering run accompanied by a feral panting. He shot round the corner with a strange speed and ran towards the two people stood in the ally. He began firing his pistol at the young man who had just interrupted his fun. "Surprise!" he screamed as he charged down the alley, with madness in his eyes.

"So, what, you followed me because you were bored?" Arienne asked, tone incredulous. "And then I proved interesting so you continued following me?" There was something decidedly creepy about the man. Shadow. Whatever or whoever it was.

When the shadow man took a step towards her Arienne didn't take a step back, although it took more willpower than she might like to admit not to. Almost by instinct, however, a dark barrier grew from her feet and erected itself between her and the other figure.

What either her or the figure's next action might be in the dance they had just begun would never be known because at just that moment a second figure burst onto the scene, seemingly from nowhere, and the shadow figure burst into a rain of colourful paint. Arienne didn't have a chance to react to either of these new developments before he heard gunshots. Instinct served her well and, moments after spotting the third figure running towards them and firing madely with a gun, the shadow barrier in front of Arienne expended from her towards the second figure in an attempt to block the incoming bullets.

Jager looked around and...everything was weird. Buildings the size of gods, stranger black rock stuff between buildings. Its all so weird. Then he saw the people, one was a girl in...skin tight clothing! Jager slightly blushes at this, the other person is... a mad man with some metal thing that makes noise?

Then suddenly darkness passes by him as he steps back in confusion. He picks two pots he dropped in confusion and stepped back toward the girl but only 5 feet. He looked in awe at the barrier. Did he finally meet some one else who can also use magic. Plus what is this stuff...paint perhaps.

He stands at ready as his hands began to turn a dull blue His right eye begins to glow a blood red but very slowly as he watchs carefully while thinking about his spoon that he dropped.